Rain Drop Farms

Axel had watched her through the thin curtains of her bedroom, watched her move, more than she could probably imagine. He was almost disappointed when she turned off the lights and headed down to the kitchen, the curtains open in the front room so that he could clearly see the jeans and t-shirt she’d put on. The curves were still there, but he couldn’t pretend that they were completely uncovered anymore.

It was a boring job sometimes. It made it more interesting to watch beautiful women show off their perfect bodies.

And now she was lying in his arms, She thought he was out of it, but he wasn’t quite as gone as that. When she crawled in beside him, it took everything he had not to put his hands places he hadn’t earned the right to touch. But then she was wiggling around, and he couldn’t help himself.

He kissed her, his hand sliding over her ass to tug her closer against him. He wanted her to feel what she was doing to him, wanted her to be aware of the power she had over men. Women like her needed to know these things. He suspected she’d never been shown before.

Such a pity.

Durango had told him more about her than he’d let on. He knew about her time at Harvard, knew how smart she was. Knew she had a master’s degree, and that she’d been nearly done with her PhD when she quit. Durango hadn’t known why she quit, but he suspected it was someone from that part of her life who’d hired them to protect her. A former lover, he thought.

The way she was responding to Axel right now, though, he wasn’t sure there’d ever been a lover. Her touch was hesitant, her kiss sweet. She was willing, but there was an innocence in the way she moved her body, the way she arched away from him instead of closer. Or was that just him hoping to find innocence in a world gone bitter?

His last lover had constantly told him what to do, complaining when he didn’t touch her right or didn’t get her off quickly enough. It was a turnoff, being instructed in the middle of the act. Maybe he just wanted someone who was less demanding, less forceful.

Or maybe he just liked the idea of taking advantage of this scared, sexy, isolated woman.

He never claimed to be a saint.

“You smell like spring,” he whispered near her ear before he slid over her, nibbling at her throat as she leaned back and moaned.

She did smell of spring. Like strawberries and fresh air, like everything good about leave while he was in the military. He shrugged the blankets off his shoulders, the cold air sudden and frigid, but not nearly powerful enough to take away the heat they’d built underneath. He nibbled her ribs as she ran her hand over his head, pain flashing through him as she brushed his torn scalp.

“Oh, hell, your head!” she gasped.

“It’s nothing,” Axel said, moving back to her mouth to steal a kiss. “It looks worse than it really is.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“That’s supposed to be my line, isn’t it?”

He kissed her roughly, possessing her mouth as his hand slipped down between her legs, brushing her swollen, moist lips. She grunted against him, lifting her hips slightly to encourage his touch. He pulled back rather than follow her instruction, teasing her with just the tips of his fingers moving close to that hot little button but not actually touching it. She grunted again, this time in frustration. But it was a good kind of frustration.

He nibbled at her neck again, loving the taste of her skin, the sweetness of the lotion she used, the heat of her gorgeous skin. “I’m going to make you scream for it,” he whispered harshly against her neck as his fingertip brushed that button, as she thrust her hips up, ready for anything and everything he had to offer. He could smell her, could smell how ready she was for him. And that made him ache deep in his balls, a need that couldn’t be satisfied easily.

She loved his touch, and he loved offering it, the promise it made burning deep inside of him. Just a second more and—

“Shh!”

He pressed a hand to her mouth, silencing her moans as he twisted, listening closely for what he’d thought he’d heard. Fucking damn bad timing! He pulled away from her and crossed the room at a low crouch, snatching the shotgun from where she’d left it leaning against the wall.

“What are you doing?”

A plank of wood exploded near the doors like a punctuation to her words. Abigail screamed, throwing herself flat against the floor under the pile of blankets and clothing.

“I know you’re in there, Abigail Rains!” a voice called from outside. “And I know you found him. You think he can save you, but I already got the best of him once. It won’t take much to do it again!”

Axel crouched near the door, moving slowly toward the hole the hitman had conveniently placed there. He peeked out, searching the cold darkness for the predator. The moon was full in the sky, and it reflected off the whiteness of the snow like a lightbulb off a lampshade. But he couldn’t see him. Whoever this guy was, he knew what he was doing.

“Enjoy your night, Abigail Rains!” the hitman called. “Tomorrow you die.”

Axel rushed across the room to Abigail. She was still cowering under the blankets, but now she was crying tears that were as big as rain drops. Any doubts she might have had finally gone.

“I won’t let him get you, Abbie,” he said, drawing her up into his arms. “You’re going to survive this.”

“How?”

He couldn’t answer that because he didn’t know.